An integrated circuit includes a pixel identifying unit that extracts a target partial image formed of a pixel of interest and adjacent pixels from input image data, determines a character of the pixel of interest based on the pixel of interest and the adjacent pixels, and generates identification information indicating a result of determination on the character; and a density converting unit that converts a density of a pixel of the image data based on a contour extraction function or an edge density reducing function on the image data by using the identification information.
Legal claims defining the scope of protection, as filed with the USPTO.
1. An image processing system comprising: an integrated circuit configured to receive image data, generate identification information of a pixel of interest of the received image data, access density conversion information from among a plurality of pieces of the density conversion information, the density conversion information being based on one of a plurality of image processing methods, in which the identification information is associated with the density conversion information, and convert a density of the pixel of interest to a density corresponding to the identification information by using only the identification information, or maintain the density of the pixel of interest unchanged when the density of the pixel of interest is not converted; and a processor communicatively coupled to a memory, the processor being configured to update the density conversion information in response to a newly selected image processing method, the updated density conversion information being associated with the newly selected image processing method.
2. The image processing system according to claim 1 , wherein the integrated circuit is further configured to extract a target partial image formed of the pixel of interest and adjacent pixels from the received image data, determine a character of the pixel of interest based on the pixel of interest and the adjacent pixels, and generate the identification information indicating a result of determination on the character.
3. The image processing system according to claim 2 , wherein the integrated circuit is further configured to extract the target partial image formed of three or more pixels in a main-scanning direction and three or more pixels in a sub-scanning direction from the image data.
4. The image processing system according to claim 1 , wherein the integrated circuit is further configured to generate pixel information, on which densities of pixels of a target partial image are reflected, include identification conversion information, in which the pixel information is associated with the identification information, and generate the identification information by acquiring the identification information corresponding to the generated pixel information from the identification conversion information.
5. The image processing system according to claim 1 , wherein the integrated circuit is further configured to perform character determination to determine whether the pixel of interest of a target partial image corresponds to an edge portion of an image element contained in an image of the image data, a non-edge portion that is not an edge of the image element, or a non-image portion that is not contained in the image element.
6. The image processing system according to claim 5 , wherein the integrated circuit is further configured to perform conversion such that the density of the pixel of interest of the target partial image is determined as corresponding to the non-edge portion becomes lower than a predetermined threshold of density.
7. The image processing system according to claim 5 , wherein the integrated circuit is further configured to perform conversion such that the density of the pixel of interest of the target partial image is determined as corresponding to the edge portion becomes lower than an original density.
8. The image processing system according to claim 1 , wherein the integrated circuit is further configured to generate a light source control signal for controlling laser light emitted from a light source based on a converted image data, in which the density of a pixel of interest of a target partial image is converted by the circuitry.
9. The image processing system according to claim 1 , wherein the integrated circuit is further configured to receive a light source control signal and control operation of the laser light based on the light source control signal, and form an electrostatic latent image by scanning a photoconductor with the laser light.
10. An image processing method comprising: receiving image data; generating, with circuitry, identification information of a pixel of interest of the received image data; accessing, with the circuitry, density conversion information from among a plurality of pieces of the density conversion information, the density conversion information being based on one of a plurality of image processing methods, in which the identification information is associated with the density conversion information; converting, with the circuitry, density of the pixel of interest to a density corresponding to the identification information by using only the identification information, or maintaining the density of the pixel of interest unchanged when the density of the pixel of interest is not converted; and updating, with the circuitry, the density conversion information in response to a newly selected image processing method, the updated density conversion information being associated with the newly selected image processing method.
11. The image processing system according to claim 1 , wherein the integrated circuit is further configured to generate a light source control signal to control laser light emitted from a light source based on the updated density conversion information, the light source control signal including a light source turn-on signal and a light-emission amount control signal.
12. An image processing system comprising: an integrated circuit configured to receive image data, generate identification information of a density of a pixel of interest of the received image data, access density conversion information, in which the identification information is associated with the density conversion information, convert the density of the pixel of interest to a density corresponding to the identification information by using only the identification information, or maintain the density of the pixel of interest unchanged when the density of the pixel of interest is not converted, the density conversion information being based on one of a plurality of image processing methods, in which the identification information is associated with the density conversion information; and a processor communicatively coupled to a non-transitory computer-readable storage medium, wherein the computer-readable storage medium stores instructions that, when executed by the processor, cause the processor to update the density conversion information in response to a newly selected image processing method, the updated density conversion information being associated with the newly selected image processing method.
13. The image processing system according to claim 12 , wherein the integrated circuit is further configured to extract a target partial image formed of the pixel of interest and adjacent pixels from the received image data, determine a character of the pixel of interest based on the pixel of interest and the adjacent pixels, and generate the identification information indicating a result of determination on the character.
14. The image processing system according to claim 13 , wherein the integrated circuit is further configured to extract the target partial image formed of three or more pixels in a main-scanning direction and three or more pixels in a sub-scanning direction from the image data.
15. The image processing system according to claim 12 , wherein the integrated circuit is further configured to generate pixel information, on which densities of pixels of a target partial image are reflected, include identification conversion information, in which the pixel information is associated with the identification information, and generate the identification information by acquiring the identification information corresponding to the generated pixel information from the identification conversion information.
16. The image processing system according to claim 12 , wherein the integrated circuit is further configured to perform character determination to determine whether the pixel of interest of a target partial image corresponds to an edge portion of an image element contained in an image of the image data, a non-edge portion that is not an edge of the image element, or a non-image portion that is not contained in the image element.
17. The image processing system according to claim 16 , wherein the integrated circuit is further configured to perform conversion such that the density of the pixel of interest of the target partial image is determined as corresponding to the non-edge portion becomes lower than a predetermined threshold of density.
18. The image processing system according to claim 16 , wherein the integrated circuit is further configured to perform conversion such that the density of the pixel of interest of the target partial image is determined as corresponding to the edge portion becomes lower than an original density.
19. The image processing system according to claim 12 , wherein the integrated circuit is further configured to: generate a light source control signal for controlling laser light emitted from a light source based on a converted image data, in which the density of a pixel of interest of a target partial image is converted by the circuitry.
20. The image processing system according to claim 10 , wherein the image processing method includes at least one of a contour extraction function and an edge density reduction function.
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December 9, 2014
August 28, 2018
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